Body for deoxidizing molten steel by submersion therein

ABSTRACT

A body of material such as a metal or metal alloy for deoxidizing molten steel by being submerged therein characterized by having a surface configuration to promote the submersion of the body into the molten steel and to provide good handling characteristics for the body during the process of introducing the body into the molten steel. The surface configuration of the body has several forms such as the shape of either a sphere, a hemisphere, a cylinder, a pyramid, a cone, a barrel-shaped cylinder, a prism, or a teardrop-shaped body. In the embodiment having a teardrop-shaped body, one surface is preferably flat and the surfaces extending from the flat surface have a sloping step configuration terminating in a flat recess of the opposite side.

United States Patent 1 Gottschol et al.

[ 1 BODY FOR DEOXIDIZING MOLTEN STEEL BY SUBMERSION THERElN [75] lnventors: Hans Joachim Gottschol,

Gevelsberg; Karl Josef Gottschol, Herdecke, both of Germany [73] Assignee: Metallurgische Forschungsanstalt,

Vaduz, Liechtenstein [22] Filed: Dec. 18, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 316,431

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Feb. 11,1975

2,397,418 3/1946 Howard 75/93 G 3,681,050 8/1972 Ueki 75/58 3.681.051 8/1972 Takashima 75/58 [57] ABSTRACT A body of material such as a metal or metal alloy for deoxidizing molten steel by being submerged therein characterized by having a surface configuration to promote the submersion of the body into the molten steel and to provide good handling characteristics for the body during the process of introducing the body into the molten steel. The surface configuration 0f the body has several forms such as the shape of either a sphere, a hemisphere, a cylinder, a pyramid, a cone, 2: barrel-shaped cylinder, a prism, or a teardrop-shaped body. In the embodiment having a teardrop-shaped body, one surface is preferably flat and the surfaces extending from the flat surface have a sloping step configuration terminating in a flat recess of the opposite side.

6 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures BODY FOR DEOXIDIZING MOLTEN STEEL BY SUBMERSION THEREIN BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is directed to a body of material such as a metal or metal alloy which is introduced into molten steel to cause deoxidation thereof.

2. Prior Art Different processes to deoxidize molten steel to produce what is known as killed steel have been suggested. One process utilizes the addition of a metal or metal alloy in the form of notched bars or rods which are submerged into the molten steel and which bars are socalled ten-notch bars. Since aluminum and aluminum alloys have a great affinity for oxygen, they are preferably used as the deoxidizing material. The addition of the bars into the molten steel faces several drawbacks due to different reasons. For instance the bars must be specifically bundled and palletized for transportation from their place of production to the different steel factories. Since the addition of the deoxidizing material is done when the molten steel is in a ladle or the ingot molds, the addition was done manually. to automate the process of adding the deoxidizing material has been difficult since the rods are bulky to handle and block any storage bunker or bin opening. Manual addition is extremely time consuming and inexact because the charge of the rods must be either counted or weighed before their addition. Another difficulty with the manual addition of rods of the deoxidizing material is that the manually added rods do not penetrate sufficiently into the molten steel to effect a good oxygen removal but tend to float upon the molten steel and burn without contributing to the removal of oxygen from the molten steel. In the framework of the growing demands for quality steel, a perfect treatment condition during production of the steel has become a prerequisite. This is particularly true for the deoxidation of molten steel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The basic task of the present invention is to provide a solid body of a deoxidizing material which is easy to transport, easy to store, easy to handle during an automated addition process and guarantees an optimum submersion depth to obtain a maximum deoxidation effect. The invention accomplishes this task by an improvement in the surface configuration of the body of the deoxidizing material. One embodiment of the surface configuration is a substantially flat surface with a teardrop shape and the remaining surfaces slope inwardly from the flat surface to form the body which can be transported without requiring bundling or palletizing and due to the teardrop shape has excellent sliding properties to enable handling in an automated process and has minimum flow resistance during free fall to guarantee a great penetration depth in the molten steel. Other embodiments have a multitude of flat sides forming multi-angles such as pyramids, prisms, obelisks and wedges. Another group of embodiments have a circular sections such as spheres, hemispheres, cones and rotational paraboloid. Other embodiments include ellipsoids or a cylindrical rod bent in a horseshoe shape.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of the embodiment of the body according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the body of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the body of FIG. I; and

FIGS. 4-8 are other embodiments of the body according to the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The principles of the present invention are particualrly useful when incorporated in a body generally indicated at 10 in FIGS. 1-3. The body 10, comprises a material of deoxidizing molten steel and is utilized by being submersed in the molten steel while the steel is contained in either a ladle or in ingot molds. The material for deoxidizing is a metal or a metal alloy and preferably an aluminum or aluminum alloy which has a high affinity for oxygen.

The body 10 has a surface configuration to promote a low flow resistance during dropping into the molten steel to enable a deep penetration of the body when added to the molten steel. The surface configuration includes a substantially flat surface 11 which has a configuration extending along the length of the body, which configuration or shape resembles a cross section of a teardrop (see FIG. 1), which cross section extends substantially parallel to a major axis of the teardrop, and the body extends from the flat surface with in wardly sloping surfaces (FIGS. 2 and 3) which terminate at the opposite side in a recess 12 which has a substantially flat surface. The flat surface of the recess 12 is suited for receiving statements of the contents of the body, the manufacturers name and other necessary information.

As illustrated, the width and length of the flat surface 11 are the maximum width and length of the body 10 and the height of the body is less than either the width or length. Preferably, a portion of the surface which is extending from the edge of the flat surface 11 are provided with grooves or depressions 13 which increase the surface area of the body for deoxidation and form a step-like configuration. As illustrated, the grooves 13 extend along the length of the body and form horseshoe-like contours, The height d of each of the steps formed by the grooves or depressions 13 are substantially equal and as illustrated decrease as the grooves extend from a front or leading edge 15 of the body towards a tear-shaped and narrow end 16. It should also be pointed out, that the surface opposite the flat surface which contains the recess 12 slopes from adjacent the front edge 15 towards the narrow end 16 so that the largest thickness is adjacent to the front 15 and the center of gravity of the body 10 is concentrated towards the front or leading edge 15. Thus, the body offers minimum flow resistance while being dropped in free fall into the molten steel and during penetration of the steel. In addition thereto, due to the concentration of weight, the body tends to orient itself as it is falling free into the melt.

Due to the outer surface configuration of the body 10, the body is easily stored in a bunker or hopper and easily slides through the discharge opening or chute into a device which automatically measures and adds a given number or weight of bodies to the molten steel during a deoxidation process. The bodies may also be stored and transported in a container and are easily removed therefrom. Due to the particular shape, the body can easily be manufactured by casting without losing its dimensional shape which shape promotes the easy handling and addition with greater pentration into the molten steel.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, the body 18 is in the form of a sphere or ball and is illustrated with a cartesian coordinates of x,y, and z. Preferably the dimensions of the sphere 18 along each of the cartesian coordinates are in the range between 50 and I50 mm with the preferred dimensions being I mm. In addition to the sphere 18, hemispheres can be utilized whose cartesian coordinates are also in the above range and which are each equal to each other.

The above described embodiments, such as the sphere 18, have a circular cross section and has at least one curved surface. Other embodiments having a circular cross section and at least one curved surface are illustrated in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8. In FIG. 6, a cylinder 19 is illustrated. The cartesian coordinates of the cylinder may be equal and have dimensions which are in the above mentioned range of 50 to 150 mm and preferably at I00 mm. In addition thereto, the body can take the from of a cone 20 (FIG. 7) which may be either a right cone as illustrated or be a truncated cone if desired. Another example of an embodiment of the body is a barrel-shaped body 21 which has flat end surfaces 22 interconnected by a curve surface 23. The barrelshaped member 21 is substantially a truncated spheroid.

In addition to the above described embodiments, the body of the present invention may take the shape of a rotational paraboloid, or an ellipsoid or of a cylindrical horseshoe which is the shape ofa cylindrical bar or rod bent into a horseshoe shape.

In addition to the embodiments having curved surfaces, the body of the present invention may be a multiangular body having a multitude of flat surfaces such as a pyramid 24 illustrated in FIG. 5. In addition to the pyramid, other multi-angular bodies can be prisms such as cubes, obelisks, or other wedge-shaped bodies in addition to the pyramid 24. As in the discussion of the sphere 18, the cartesian coordinates can be selected for each of the bodies illustrated in FIGS. 4-8 to be equal and have a length of between 50 and I50 mm with the desired length being approximately I00 mm.

To increase the surface area of any of the bodies illustrated in FIGS. 4-8 discussed hereinabove, the bodies may include surface indentations such as 25 and surface projections 26 illustrated in chain lines in FIG. 4. Such surface indentations and projections increase the available surface area for reacting with the oxygen in the molten steel to improve the removal of oxygen therefrom.

As mentioned with regard to the body 10, the above described other embodiments provide a body configuration for a body which are easily transported, stored in bunkers or hoppers and automatically fed into molten steel by an automatic machine. Due to the particular body shapes, each of the bodies provide both sliding and falling properties so that they do not tend to block or jam a discharge opening ofa hopper or bin and have a reduced flow resistance to enable a sufficient depth of penetration into the molten steel to obtain the desired deoxidation. Furthermore, each of the bodies illustrated in FIGS. 1-8 can be added by an automatic device which is electronically controlled and weighs the bodies to be added to a ladle in response to the desired analysis of the steel. The use of the automatic device for addition of the deoxidation material is faster and more accurate in producing the desired deoxidation of the molten steel and therefore more desirable than the previously used manual processes.

Although various minor modifications may be suggested by those versed in the art, we wish to include within the scope of the patent granted hereon all such modifications that reasonably come within our contribution to the art.

We claim:

1. A body for use in deoxidizing molten steel by submersion of the body into the molten steel, said body. consisting of a metal for deoxidizing molten steel and said body being solid with a surface configuration of at least one substantially flat surface being disposed on one side of the body and the surface of the body adjacent the flat surface sloping inwardly from the edge of the flat surface, said flat surface having a shape of a cross section of a teardrop which cross section extends substantially parallel to the major axis of the teardrop.

2. A solid body for use in deoxidizing molten steel by submersion of thebody into the molten steel, said solid body consisting of a metal for deoxidizing the molten steel and having a shape as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3.

3. A body according to claim I, wherein the maximum length and width of the body is at the flat surface and the maximum thickness of the body is less than the maximum width and length.

4. A body according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the surfaces adjacent the flat surface has a step-like configuration to increase the surface area of the body.

5. A body according to claim 4, wherein the step-like configuration extends in the longitudinal length of the body and the height of each step of the step-like configuration are substantially equal.

6. A body according to claim 4, wherein the step-like surface terminates in a recess on a surface opposite to the flat surface, said recess having a flat surface extending substantially in the longitudinal direction of the body. 

1. A BODY FOR USE IN DEOXIDIZING MOLTEN STEEL BY SUBMERSION OF THE BODY INTO THE MOLTEN STEEL, SAID BODY CONSISTING OF A METAL FOR DEOXIDIZING MOLTEN STEEL AND SAID BODY BEING SOLID WITH A SURFACE CONFIGURATION OF AT LEAST ONE SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT SURFACE BEING DISPOSED ON ONE SIDE OF THE BODY AND THE SURFACE OF THE BODY ADJACENT THE FLAT SURFACE SLOPING INWARDLY FROM THE EDGE OF THE FLAT SURFACE, SAID FLAT SURFACE HAVING A SHAPE OF A CROSS SECTION OF A TEARDROP WHICH CROSS SECTION EXTENDS SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE MAJOR AXIS OF THE TEARDROP.
 2. A solid body for use in deoxidizing molten steel by submersion of the body into the molten steel, said solid body consisting of a metal for deoxidizing the molten steel and having a shape as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and
 3. 3. A body according to claim 1, wherein the maximum length and width of the body is at the flat surface and the maximum thickness of the body is less than the maximum width and length.
 4. A body according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the surfaces adjacent the flat surface has a step-like configuration to increase the surface area of the body.
 5. A body according to claim 4, wherein the step-like configuration extends in the longitudinal length of the body and the height of each step of the step-like configuration are substantially equal.
 6. A body according to claim 4, wherein the step-like surface terminates in a recess on a surface opposite to the flat surface, said recess having a flat surface extending substantially in the longitudinal direction of the body. 